St. Peregrine Laziosi

I used to work at CatholicPrayercards.org in my last year of college with Kinsi from Anima Kinsi. A lot of these saints that have been shared on this #40daysofsaints blog series, I have definitely heard of but, to be honest, I didn't really know their whole story. Today, I looked up St. Peregrine Laziosi, which I have heard of before but never knew who he was. I didn't even know if he was a he or she.. Well, he is a he, just so you know! 

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St. Peregrine's feast day is celebrated on May 1. He is the patron saint of cancer victims.

St. Peregrine Laziosi was born into a wealthy family in Forli, Italy in the year 1260. At the time Peregrine was born, Forli was governed by the Pope as a part of the Papal states. As a young man, he was active in politics and a member of the anti-papal party. At one of the uprisings, the Pope sent St. Philip Benizi (Prior General of the Servants of Mary) to Forli to mediate and preach reconciliation, and Peregrine struck Philip in the face. Then, Philip offered the other cheek. Peregrine felt so bad, he repented and converted to Catholicism. Peregrine had a vision of Mary, where he was told to go to Sienna. While in Sienna  he joined the Servants of Mary. 

Peregrine had a reputation as a good confessor. He spent his life dedicating himself to the sick, the poor, and those on the fringes of society. It is believed that he never allowed himself to sit for 30 years. This caused varicose veins in his legs, which later progressed to an open sore on his leg diagnosed as Cancer.

His wound on his leg became severe and the local doctor considered amputating Peregrine's leg. He spent the night before his operation, Peregrine prayed before the image of the crucified Christ. When he awoke, the wound on his leg was healed. The miracle caused his reputation to become widespread! He lived another 20 years spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. He died in 1345 at the age of 85 and was canonized by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726.

Check out this website here dedicated to St. Peregrine!

Prayer to St. Peregrine

O God, who gave to St. Peregrine an Angel for his companion, the Mother of God for his Teacher, and Jesus as the Physician of his malady, grant we beseech You through his merits that we may on earth intensely love our Holy Angel, the blessed Virgin Mary, and our Savior  and in Him bless them forever. Grant that we may receive the favor which we now petition. We ask this through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

(say 7 Our Fathers, 7 Hail Marys and 7 Glory be to the Fathers with
the invocation "St. Peregrine, pray for us.")

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Please pray for one of my husband's students who is battling cancer. His name is Ryan. 

St. Peregrine, pray for us.

That's all for today! Thanks for stopping by,